Raised in Oregon, Dawna's love of family and nature are the basis of many of her works. Watercolor is Dawna's medium of choice. She loves its luminosity, which brings her vision of brightening the world and the lives of others forward.
According to my mother, my passion for art began at the age of 4 when I would stay up long past bedtime, coloring in my room; however, my first vivid memory of art is sitting in church every Sunday, drawing the same picture each week: Jesus standing by a drawn back curtain and holding a gigantic ruby in His outstretched hand. I can still envision that image clearly today, though I never kept a single copy.
Similarly, my most profound artistic experience, thus far, came when I was speaking from the pulpit in Church. I was citing Helaman 5:12 from the Book of Mormon: “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build our foundation; that when the devil shall send forth His mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” As I spoke, an image flooded my mind in the form of a painting: a woman kneeling on a rock surrounded by a stormy sea. She was at the feet of the Savior. Tears streamed down her face as fiery darts assailed her from every direction, yet hope shone in her eyes. I remember thinking, “I have to paint that,” but I did not feel up to the task.
Although I still don’t feel ready, I am beginning to feel like it is time to move forward regardless of whether if feel adequate or not. In a movie called Charlie, the main character shares a piece of her art with her grandma, who asks why she is painting fruit --which is just an exercise-- and advises her to find something she feels so strongly about that she is afraid she won’t be able to do it and then paint that. I realize I have spent the last few years metaphorically “painting fruit”, honing my skills. --But what I feel so strongly about that I fear not being able to express --THAT is my real purpose! To bring people closer to Christ and the love and peace He offers them. It is time for my canvas to bring these beautiful truths to life!
